It was shocking that 106 COVID fatalities had been reported in Punjab on Wednesday: Daljit Singh Chema
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) asked the Congress-led government in Punjab on Thursday to improve medical facilities rather than blaming people for reporting late to hospitals amid rising coronavirus cases and deaths.
The remarks come after Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday said that delayed diagnosis in patients reporting for testing or treatment at the COVID facilities was the main cause of the high mortality rate.
He had also said that 67 per cent of all COVID deaths were due to patients reporting at the health facility for the first time after suffering severe signs and symptoms.
"The Congress government should get its act together and improve infrastructure and medical facilities at its critical care centres instead of trying to forsake its responsibility by blaming the people for reporting late to hospitals," SAD leader Daljit Singh Chema said in a statement.
Punjab on Wednesday had reported a record 106 deaths in a day due to coronavirus.
Mr Cheema said it was shocking that 106 COVID fatalities had been reported in Punjab on Wednesday and that the state's fatality percentage of 2.6 was the third highest in the country.
"The very fact that the fatality rate is increasing instead of decreasing as is the case with all other states indicates that the state is failing to provide the required medical care to pandemic patients," he alleged.
The SAD leader said the situation on the ground was very different from what the government was claiming.
He said the medical superintendent of Faridkot Medical College had resigned due to lack of infrastructure to tackle the pandemic.
"As many as 55 doctors of the medical college have reported COVID -19 positive indicating even doctors and medical staff had not been provided with adequate protection measures," Cheema claimed.
He said there were also widespread complaints about lack of medical care at the COVID care centres due to which many village panchayats had passed resolutions stating they would not allow transfer of patients to the government hospitals.
Besides calling for an overhaul of critical care centres along with an increase in bed capacity, Cheema said the state government should also provide better facilities at all COVID centres.
"There is an urgent need to increase the strength of para medical staff to ensure proper care of patients at these centres," he said.